For YEARS I had been reporting to my doctor that I feel tired ALL. THE. TIME. My thyroid tests came back normal; my Vitamin D was very low (not uncommon with women), but I was testing “normal.” For over 10 years, this was my reality. I’ve just plogged along life tired, drained, and just existing. I’ve trained myself to put on a brave face and act like I’m fine when I’m miserable. I began to think it was in my head. I must be a miserable cow if I can’t seem to function with what is deemed the required 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Constantly waking up like I just dropped off. Always tripping over my own feet because I’m too tired to lift my leg to walk to the bathroom. Yawning non-stop, having to give the scripted ” I guess I need more coffee (enter nervous laughter)” when in public. On more than one occasion, I was so tired I nearly forgot to drop trou on the loo. I started comparing myself to the cats who had no problem sleeping 20 hours a day only to wake up to eat, poop, and make unruly demands.
Something was very very wrong, and I kept telling my medical professional yet was dismissed, told to lose weight, I’m just lazy, and eat more salads.
After one particularly damaging appointment with a “medical professional” who not once listened to my symptoms but just stood there leaning against the counter with soulless eyes and pouting like a fish, basically dismissing me over and over again with an extra eye roll followed by a “tisk tisk, maybe go see a nutritionist”-YES, she actually said that-If she read my file, she would see I AM a nutritionist. I left that appointment and sat in my car and cried.
My dad always told me that when something upsets you or makes you mad, give it 10 minutes of attention, let it go, and move on. Life is too short to stew over someone’s bad behavior. So that’s what I did. 10 minutes. I cried in my car for 10 minutes, then I decided to get even. See Part II for what I did.
Balancing Cat 